Allentown officials have once again pushed back the deadline for bids on the city's proposed water and sewer lease.

A release, issued by the city Wednesday afternoon, said that bids will be accepted until noon Friday. The last scheduled deadline was 2 p.m. Thursday -- a week extension of the original deadline.

Mayor Ed Pawlowski has proposed leasing the city's water and sewer systems to a outside operator for 50 years in exchange for a $150 to $200 million payment. That money would be put into the city's underfunded employee pensions plans.

The bid opening will be closed to the public and media. (Believe me, we tried.) State procurement law, which requires all bid openings to be public, does not apply to the sale or lease of municipal assets.